Ontario Maple Weekend — Celebrate maple syrup season at a local sugarbush April 7 and 8

ONTARIO — Spring is in the air and Ontario maple syrup producers are busy making plans for the 4th annual Maple Weekend, taking place April 7 and 8. Hosted by the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association (OMSPA), Maple Weekend is a two-day, free, family-friendly event celebrating the advent of spring and maple syrup production in Ontario.

In 2018, Maple Weekend will take place in 10 districts across Ontario, where maple syrup producers will welcome visitors to their sugarbushes April 7 and 8, offering specials and activities in honour of the occasion. Producers in the Simcoe & District, Waterloo-Wellington, Eastern, Lanark & District, Quinte & District, Algoma & District, Southwestern, Ottawa Valley, Grey-Bruce & District, and Algonquin regions have registered to take part in this sweet celebration of maple syrup production.

“We’re pleased Maple Weekend has been embraced by so many of OMSPA’s producers,” Leann Thompson, Chair of the OMSPA Maple Weekend working group, said, “While only a few years old, this event continues to grow across the province, and this offers even more incentive for visitors to explore a local sugarbush each year.”

Maple Weekend is a celebration of the Canadian tradition of maple syrup production, and features two full days of activities in specials at participating maple syrup producers across the province. Running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, visitors can expect to experience specials and activities ranging from pancake breakfasts, to maple candies and confections, sugar bush trails, sugar making demonstrations, taffy on snow, sleigh rides, and more.

Launched as a pilot project in 2015 by the Lanark & District Maple Syrup Producers’ Association, Maple Weekend has since evolved into a popular weekend activity for families and individuals looking to experience the best of Ontario’s maple syrup production. In 2017, Maple Weekend was nominated for Ontario Tourism Event of the Year, and continues to grow and expand each year.

“The annual visit to a maple sugarbush is a popular family-focused event, where visitors can enjoy themselves while picking up their spring supply of maple syrup, straight from the farm,” Thompson said. “We really want to highlight our producers who dedicate so much time and energy to making that experience so wonderful.”

A list of participating Maple Weekend maple syrup producers is available on the Maple Weekend website, along with further details about specials and activities for visitors at the more than 70 locations across the province. Visitors are invited to visit the Maple Weekend website at www.mapleweekend.ca for more information.

As the official voice of sugar makers in the province, OMSPA represents over 700 maple syrup producers from across the province, who are committed to producing a high-quality product for consumers to enjoy. Members are involved with a wide range of activities organized at the provincial level or through one of the 11 local chapters located across the maple producing areas of Ontario.

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